The Avengers

The Avengers is a live-action movie based on Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name. Featuring the team-up of iconic Marvel Comics Superheroes - Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

Year Released: 2012

Summary:
When the Earth's security is threatened by an unexpected enemy with an intent of taking over the universe, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), leader of a secret peace keeping agency known as Supreme Headquarters, International Espionage, Law-Enforcement Division or S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to protect the Earth from the brink of destruction.He then later realizes that the part or assembling the team and making them work together is much complicated than he'd expected. Without much time left, they need to learn how to work things up as a team, despite their individual struggles and conflicts, to save the Earth.

Cast:
Robert Downey, Jr.
Chris Evans
Mark Ruffalo
Chris Hemsworth
Scarlett Johansson
Jeremy Renner
Tom Hiddleston
Chris Evans
Samuel L. Jackson

Director:
Joss Whedon

Reviews & Ratings:
"With a script that never forgets its heroes' humanity and no shortage of super powered set pieces, The Avengers lives up to its hype — and raises the bar for Marvel at the movies".
~ Rotten Tomatoes on The Avengers

"The Avengers is the best superhero film ever made."
~ Mark Hughes, Forbes.com

8.8/10- Ratings from IMDB
8/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• "Group Hug" is the code name for the film in its early production.
• Edward Norton is originally set to reprise his role as The Incredible Hulk
• Jeremy Renner was trained by Olympic archers for his role as Hawkeye

Source: IMDb - The Avengers

Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol

Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocolis the 4th offering of the popular action movie series Mission: Impossible. Starring Tom Cruise, who reprises his role as the main protagonist - Agent Ethan Hunt.

Year Released: 2011

Summary:
In this 4th installment of the popular Mission: Impossible franchise, Ethan Hunt and his team is assigned to discover the secret Moscow Kremlin archives to gather vital information about a person code-named "Cobalt". Half-way thru their mission, the team is unprepared for the counter attack of a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks, who has an access to Russian nuclear codes and is planning to strike United States.

When things turned horribly wrong and without any back-up, Ethan and his team are forced to continue the mission to find Hendricks and to stop him from starting a nuclear war.

Cast:
Tom Cruise
Jeremy Renner
Simon Pegg
Paula Patton
Michael Nyqvist

Director:
Brad Bird

Reviews & Ratings:
"Stylish, fast-paced, and loaded with gripping set pieces, the fourth Mission: Impossible is big-budget popcorn entertainment that really works."
~ Rotten Tomatoes on Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

7.9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.7/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

With great movie reviews, it is indeed a must see action movie of the year.

Movie Trivia:

• Tom Cruise himself performed the sequence outside of the Burj Khalifa tower - without the use of a stunt double. The Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai is currenlty the tallest building in the world
• Kristin Kreuk was considered for the role of Jane Carter
• Chris Pine and Tom Hardy were considered for the role of Brandt
• Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames are the only actors to be part in all Mission: Impossible movies

Source: IMDB - Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol

Real Steel

 

"Courage is stronger than steel"

Real Steel is a live action - adventure movie based on a 1956 short story "Steel" by Richard Matheson. The film stars Hugh Jackman (Wolverine , X-Men movie series), Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie , and Kevin Durand.


Summary:
Set in the near-future, in time where humans have been replaced by robots in the sport of boxing, Charlie Kenton, a former boxer and a struggling promoter believes that he and his estranged son Max had built a "champion" robot out of scrap metals. Now that the stakes are raised, Charlie and Max, equipped with courage and determination, is about to face the no-holds-barred arena of underground robot boxing  to get the second chance of his life on a sport that he once loved.

Year Released: 2011

Cast:
Hugh Jackman
Dakota Goyo
Evangeline Lilly
Anthony Mackie
Kevin Durand

Director:
Shawn Levy

Reviews & Ratings:
"Silly premise notwithstanding, this is a well-made Hollywood movie: Thrilling and exciting action with just enough characterization."
~ Rotten Tomatoes on Real Steel

5.9/10 (60%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

7.1/10 - Ratings from IMDB

Movie Trivia:

• Real Steel movie is based on a short story by Richard Matheson named "Steel". It was also made into an episode of The Twilight Zone called Steel
• Sugar Ray Leonard, a retired professional boxer, supervised the robot boxing fight scenes, using motion-capture technology

Source: IMDB - Real Steel

Wanted

 

Wanted is based on a comic book miniseries created by Mark Millar. This action movie is directed by a Russian director, Timur Bekmambetov. Starring Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, James McAvoy, and Terence Stamp.

Summary:
The storyline follows Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy), a cube-dwelling, frustrated office worker with a dull and depressing life. Until he crossed path with a hot female assassin named Fox (Angelina Jolie) and introduces him to The Fraternity, a secret guild of the best assassins being led by the enigmatic Sloan (Morgan Freeman).

As a new member of The Fraternity, he must undergo a series of physical tests and discover his special skills - which is similar to his father. Thru this, he could take revenge on his father's death who's once a member of the secret guild. It's his destiny to be part of The Fraternity but there some secrets that he must uncover about the guild in order to find out his own destiny.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
James McAvoy
Morgan Freeman
Angelina Jolie
Terence Stamp

Director:
Timur Bekmambetov

Reviews & Ratings:
"Wanted is a fast-paced, crackling thrill ride tailor-made for the Summer audience."
~ RottenTomatoes on Wanted

6.7/10 - Ratings from IMDB

6.6/10 (71%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• James McAvoy undergo trainings to improve his physique for preparation for his role as Wes.
• James McAvoy suffered an injured knee and a twisted ankle during shooting.
•  According to Angelina Jolie, she based her role in Wanted on Clint Eastwood.

Source: IMDB - Wanted

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight, which is part of Christopher Nolan's Batman film series is a follow-up to the action-hit Batman Begins (2005). Christian Bale reprises the role of the caped crusader - Batman.

Summary:
The film focuses on Batman's fight against a new villain, a psychopathic criminal named Joker (Heath Ledger), who is the mastermind of numerous organized crimes in Gotham City.

With the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to eliminate and dismantle the remaining criminal organizations that plague the city streets. Their partnership proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a reign of chaos unleashed by a rising criminal mastermind known to the terrified citizens of Gotham as the Joker.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
Christian Bale
Michael Caine
Heath Ledger
Aaron Eckhart
Gary Oldman
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Morgan Freeman

Director:
Christopher Nolan

Reviews & Ratings:
"Nolan has shown a new way to tell a superhero story, and it may turn out to be the only way to tell a story about heroes in this troublingly amoral time. We may want our white knights, but it's the dark knight that we need."
~ Katey Rich of CinemaBlend
 9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

8.5/10 (94%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• The Dark Knight is the first Batman movie without "Batman" in the title.
• Matt Damon was the first choice of Christopher Nolan to play the role of Harvey Dent but he turned it down.
• Other actors that were considered to have a part in the film are Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman, John Lucas and Ryan Phillippe.

Source: IMDB - The Dark Knight 

Iron Man

Iron Man is an action-adventure movie based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. Robert Downey Jr. played the lead role as Tony Stark - a billionaire industrialist who designs and manufactures weapons and becomes the technologically advanced superhero, Iron Man.

Summary:
Tony Stark lived a good life having the everything man has dreamt of - money, fortune and gorgeous women. But during a business trip to Afghanistan to demonstrate Stark Industries' new weapon, his convoy was attacked and captured by a terrorist group. As he awakened, Stark discovers an electromagnet attached to his chest, powered by a car battery and designed to keep the shrapnel from piercing his heart and killing him. He was tortured by the group and forced to build a Jericho missile for them - which is his most powerful weapon. With the help of a captor named Yinsen (Shaun Toub), they created a special iron suit instead that can withstand almost anything shot at it and it is loaded with an arsenal of weapons to destroy the terrorist camp and its inhabitants. With this amazing weapon he had built, suddenly his destiny shifts into something he didn't expected it to be.

Year Released: 2008

Cast:
Robert Downey Jr.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Jeff Bridges
Terrence Howard

Director:
Jon Favreau

Reviews & Ratings:
"It’s also refreshing to see a superhero flick in which the hero isn’t some angsty teenager or a borderline underwear model. Tony Stark is a mature man, with deep rooted flaws."
~ Josh Tyler of CinemaBlend
7.9/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.6/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Nicolas Cage and Tom Cruise were interested in playing Iron Man.
• Quentin Tarantino, Joss Whedon, and Nick Cassavetes were approached to direct the film.
• Robert Downey Jr. spent five days a week in weight and martial arts training to get into shape as a preparation for his role as Iron Man.
• It's the first film released in 2008 to pass the $300 million mark at the domestic box office.

Source: IMDB - Iron Man

Gladiator

"A Hero Will Rise"
The Gladiator tells the story of a Roman general who comes to Rome as a gladiator to revenge for his family.

Gladiator is a historical epic masterpiece of Ridley Scott that received much praise and honors because of its scope, creative and intense battle scenes and convincing performances of the lead cast.

Year Released: 2000

Summary: 

Maximus Meridias (Russel Crowe), a Roman general that has been named as the keeper of Rome and its empire by Emperor Marcus Aurelius thus, giving him the privilege to be his successor. However, the emperor was killed by his power-hungry jealous son Commodus and later orders the death of Maximus. Fortunately, Maximus managed to escape but was captured by slave traders and was sent to North Africa. He ends up being a slave and was forced to be a gladiator. With the twist of fate happened to Maximus, he remained strong and hopeful that he might someday fulfill the wish of the late emperor. As a victorious gladiator, he was sent back to Rome to participate in the Gladiatorial Games (a battle to death of the most famous gladiators) in which he had plans of taking revenge and gain his freedom against the man who took away his family and the good things he once have.

Cast:
Russell Crowe
Joaquin Phoenix
Connie Nielsen
Oliver Reed
Richard Harris
Derek Jacobi
Djimon Hounsou

Director:
Ridley Scott

Reviews & Ratings:
"Ridley Scott and an excellent cast successfully convey the intensity of Roman gladitorial combat as well as the political intrigue brewing beneath."
~ Rottentomatoes on Gladiator

8.5/10 - Ratings from IMDB

7.1/10 (76%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Gladiator is Russell Crowe's favorite film, and Maximus is his favorite character portrayal.
• The film is dedicated to Oliver Reed who suffered a fatal heart attack during principal photography.
• Mel Gibson was offered the lead role, but turned it down because at 43 he felt he was too old to play Maximus.
• Antonio Banderas was also considered for the role of Maximus.

Source: IMDB - Gladiator

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars is an action sci-fi film created by George Lucas during the 1970's and was eventually expanded and became one of the most popular film franchises thru time. It features some elements that are related to the archetypes of the fantasy genre such as Jedi knights, princesses, robots, spaceships and other creatures, as well as the futuristic settings of the universe.

It was inspired and influenced by several known sci-fi films like Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress, Yojimbo, John Ford's The Searchers, and the original Flash Gordon series.

Year Released: 1977 (Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope)

Cast:
Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Director:
George Lucas

Reviews & Ratings:
"A legendarily expansive and ambitious start to the sci-fi saga, George Lucas opened our eyes to the possiblites of blockbuster filmmaking and things have never been the same."
~ RottenTomatoes on Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

8.8/10 - Ratings from IMDB

8.3/10 (93%) Tomatometer - Ratings from Rotten Tomatoes

Movie Trivia:

• Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is the only movie of the Star Wars franchise to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award
• According to George Lucas, originally Luke was a girl, Han Solo was an Alien, the wookiees were called Jawas, and R2-D2 and C-3PO were called A-2 and C-3
• Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill performed the swing stunt themselves, shooting it in just one take.

Source: IMDB - Star Wars

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | AdventureMain Cast:
Harrison Ford
Karen Allen
Paul Freeman
Ronald Lacey
Wolf KahlerDirector:Steven Spielberg

About the movie:
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) is an action-adventure movie released in 1981 starring Harrison Ford. It is the first among the Indiana Jones movie series and its about a renowned archaeologist named Indiana Jones that oftens plunges into adventure to discover rare artifacts.
In this first chapter of the action-packed movie series, Indiana Jones go across the world to locate the ancient Ark of the Covenant - said to have remains of the sacred biblical item which is the Ten Commandments. However, the Nazis are also planning to hunt for the Ark of Covenant and to use it as a weapon because they believe that it carries an extremely powerful energy. Indiana Jones and his former girlfriend Marion set aboard to find the lost ark. But the mission is not that easy for them as they get involved in a series of chases and fights, and they must escape the bunch of the evil Nazis, to recover the precious artifact that could put the world in danger.
The Raiders of the Lost Ark is an adventure-filled movie with stunning special effects and a non-stop action stunts. A movie that is an epitome of real entertainment - one of the best action movies that you'll love to watch over and over again.

Mad Max 2 : The Road Warrior

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi

Main Cast:
Mel Gibson
Michael Preston
Bruce Spence
Vernon Wells
Kjell Nilsson
Virginia Hey
Emil Minty

Director:
George Miller


About the movie:

Mad Max 2 (1981; also known as The Road Warrior), is a follow-up movie of Miller's sci-fi action movie Mad Max (1979). It's a post-apocalyptic action movie that eventually became a cult classic.

This is the continuation of Max's adventure and the summary of the events happened on the first movie that shed light on the political situation of the world - that a war has occurred. It features Max's life after the he loss his wife and son. This sequel is more intense than the predeccessor and the world's standing become worse. The highlight of this film is the pulse-pounding and breath-taking car chases, probably one of the greatest movies involving cars.

The movie has a stunning action sequences without a single ounce of computer graphics that is equally impressive by today's standards in action movies. It's a follow up movie that's even more exciting and intense than the first one and really a must-see for action buffs.

Point Break

Point Break

Movie Information

Genre:
Action | Adventure

Main Cast:
Patrick Swayze
Keanu Reeves
Gary Busey
Lori Petty
John McGinley

Director:
Kathryn Bigelow


About the movie:
Pointbreak (1991) is an action adventure movie that focused on extreme sports like sky diving and surfing.

The movie is about Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an undercover FBI agent assigned to investigate a group of bank robbers known as the "Ex-Presidents". The Ex-Presidents are hard to get caught because they only deal in cash and never leave clues about their activities. He suspects that there's a connection between the "Ex-Presidents" and the local surfers in the coastal area of Los Angeles after his partner, Pappas gave him some information about the suspicious group of surfers.


Point Break has its original action sequences, a tight plot and a bunch of Hollywood's well-known actors. Point Break is a very stylish action movie with amazing surfing and sky-diving stunts plus a great chase scene and a thrilling parachute-less jump as its highlight.

It is one great achievement for Kathryn Bigelow as a woman who handled the action and suspense scenes with expertise. The movie deserves to be recognized as one of the best action movies of the 90s along with Die Hard, Speed and others.

Predator

Predator Movie Information
Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi
Main Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Elpidia Carrillo
Bill Duke
Kevin Peter Hall
Jesse Ventura
Carl Weathers
Director:
John McTiernan


About the movie:

Predator is a combination of the elements of action, science fiction and horror. It was directed by John McTiernan and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger , Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura and Kevin Peter Hall. It was released in 1987 by 20th Century Fox.

The Predator is an alien humanoid creature that is fond of hunting and is capable of interstellar traveling and has a multiple visions and armored by a light-bending suit with advance weapons. It descended on Earth, specifically in Central America, to hunt for humans. However, the US Army Special Forces unit led by Major Dutch Schaefer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is also on the same location to rescue a cabinet minister in the hands of a rebel group. But the members of the military unit is beginning to disappear and they still don't have the idea that another enemy is attacking them - the Predator. Until they finally encounter the extraterrestrial creature and found out that it is powerful enough that their weapons are no match with this alien assassin.

This action-packed movie maintains a feeling of fear and tension all throughout with gun-fighting, explosions and hair-raising sight of the Predator.

After the success of the Predator movie (and the character as well), having a gross revenue of $60,000,000 in United States, sequels of this movie have been made. These are Predator 2 (1990) and Alien vs. Predator (2004).


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Total Recall (1990)

Total Recall Movie Information
Genre:
Action | Sci-Fi
Main Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Rachel Ticotin
Sharon Stone
Michael Ironside
Ronny Cox
Director:
Paul Verhoeven

About the movie:

Total Recall is a major box office movie that stars Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a science fiction action movie based on the story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” written by Philip Dick. The movie was released on 1990 and it won a Special Achievement Academy Award for its quality visual effects. At the time of its production, Total Recall movie had the biggest authorized budget produced by Hollywood studio.

This action movie's casts are Sharon Stone, Rachel Ticotin, Michael Ironside and Ronny Cox and is directed by Paul Verhoeven.


Arnold Schwarzenegger is Douglas Quaid in the movie. He is a construction worker that is being haunted by nightmares of the planet Mars. He longs for an adventure cause he's bored with what he regularly do. One day he heard about Rekall Inc., a company that is selling and implanting false memories and he purchased a vacation to Mars as a spy. Then the procedure goes terribly wrong that Doug lost some parts of his memory and he's into another personality surface believing that he's name is Hauser and he's a former Mars Intelligence Agent and he is being chased by a group of assassins. He also battles with mutants, aliens, and alien machines from Mars and he met Melina that told him about his identity as an agent. Quaid's wife didn't believe him; and he is also confused if everything that's happening to him is real or just a dream.

Total Recall is a fascinating action movie with a few twists and unpredictable plot. A movie full of action and violence, it is highly recommended for the action movie fanatics.